Local community receives early holiday gift from VCC Culinary team
The holiday season was made a little brighter for one of the most vulnerable communities of the Downtown Eastside this December. On Tuesday, Dec. 5, Vancouver Community College’s (VCC) Culinary Arts program served up 250 traditional turkey meals to women in need at SheWay.
The social services organization provides health, education and counselling programs to women who have current or past substance use issues, are pregnant or have young children. SheWay has been a partner with VCC for the past seven years.
Led by instructor Chef John Lewis, the initiative focused on providing Culinary Arts students with the opportunity to expand their mindset and learn how to incorporate more community work in their careers once they graduate.
“This gives the students a chance to work together as a team to support our community,” says Lewis. “Our students have gone on to put this experience into practice in their own workplace, and that’s the kind of impact we want to see.”
VCC's culinary kitchens have opened up in the past to serve vulnerable populations in the Downtown Eastside during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and partnered with The Salvation Army in 2016 for their Christmas in January initiatives.
Make a difference while honing your passion for cooking in the kitchen. Sign up for an online information session to learn more about VCC's Culinary Arts program.